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Strung along the North-South Line just north of Orchard Road, these four rather dissimilar districts serve to absorb Singapore's urban sprawl and house its inhabitants. None are particularly attractive from a tourist's point of view, but they are popular for short and longer-term stays in Singapore — quiet and reasonably priced, but close enough to be convenient.

Balestier offers one of Singapore's largest clusters of cheap hotels, second only to Geylang.

Newton and Novena are rapidly gentrifying suburbs just north of the city, housing a significant expat population and services geared to them. Just one MRT stop further north, though, is the canonical Singapore heartland suburb of Toa Payoh (pron. "Tor Pah-yoh"), housing well over 100,000 Singaporeans in HDB housing blocks.

Newton, Novena and Toa Payoh are easily accessed on the North-South MRT Line. Balestier does not have convenient access by MRT, although it's possible to hike over from Toa Payoh or Novena stations (10-15 minutes). However, there are quite a few bus services along Balestier Rd, with the most useful ones being SBS 145 to Bugis, City Hall, Boat Quay and Chinatown, 130 to Bugis, City Hall and Ang Mo Kio, and 124 to Orchard Road and City Hall. There is also 167 from Sembawang to Orchard.

Toa Payoh has no sights as such, but it's an interesting example of the elusive "real Singapore". Just take the MRT to the station and walk around the vast sprawl of Toa Payoh Central, much of which is taken up by an outdoor shopping arcade filled with little neighborhood shops and places to eat.

The Balestier area has two sights of minor interest:

Sasanaramsi Burmese Buddhist Temple, 14 Tai Gin Rd (off Balestier Rd), ☎+65-6251-1717, [1]. Daily 6:30 AM to 9:00 PM. Completed in 1990, equipped with an eye-catching golden spire, it is the only Buddhist temple outside Myanmar to be built in the traditional Burmese architectural style. Inside, the most remarkable features for the lay visitor are the Buddha statues enhanced with swirling LED halos; be sure to climb up to the third floor to see the largest and most stunning of the lot.Free. edit

Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, 12 Tai Gin Rd (off Balestier Rd), [2]. Built in the late 1800s as Wan Qing Yuan (晚晴园), the villa was offered in 1906 to Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat Sen, who stayed here eight times while in exile. The villa has been lovingly restored and was reopened to the public in 2001, but the contents of the museum inside are a little dull unless you have a keen interest and solid background in Chinese history.$3. edit

Singapore Polo Club, 80 Mount Pleasant Rd (bus 54, 162, 166 from Novena MRT), ☎+65-68543999, [3]. Dating back to 1886, the colonial-style clubhouse is a good spot to quaff a gin tonic below lazy ceiling fans while watching toffs pootle about on the polo field. Practice sessions Tue, Thu, Sat and Sun at 5 PM, plus scheduled competition events, all free and open to non-members. Riding lessons also available, although these are primarily intended for members and residents and various conditions apply. Even if you aren't a polo fan, the daily $19.90 three-course lunches at the Mountbatten Room are a pretty good deal.edit

Most of Balestier's shops — over 40 at last count — are devoted to selling light fixtures and other interior decoration items. Unless you want to surprise the folks back home with a lovely Singaporean toilet bowl, it's probably best to head elsewhere — both Novena and Toa Payoh have large shopping centers around the MRT stations.

Velocity, 238 Thomson Rd (Novena MRT), ☎+65-63505110, [5]. Formerly Novena Square, this is by far Novena's largest shopping mall. The main theme is higher-end branded sporting goods, including a large California Fitness gym, but there is also a decent selection of restaurants, a Kopitiam food court and a Cold Storage supermarket.edit

Newton Circus, (Newton MRT). Known for its seafood, but is also one the few places in Singapore where touts and overcharging can be a nuisance — double-check the price of any seafood you order. Still, the hawker centre has always had a special spot in the hearts of Singaporeans, especially those in the heartlands. Other than its famed seafood stalls, the hokkien mee, oyster omelette, popiah, BBQ chicken wings, ice kachang, satay and fried rice are popular with locals. Renovated in July 2006, and has now a better atmosphere and more outdoor seating. No smoking.edit

Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice, 275 Thomson Road #01-05, ☎+65-62556396. This no-frills restaurant wins no prizes for appearance or service, but it gets packed every evening with crowds who want to sample their famous chicken rice. The roasted chicken is better than steamed, ask for boneless to make it easier to eat. Also try the shui jiao (dumpling with minced pork and prawns).$5. edit

Balestier is locally famous for two products: the flaky bean jam pastry tau sar piah, and the pork rib soup bak kut teh. Thanks to the crowd they serve, most restaurants in Balestier are open until the wee hours.

Founder Bak Kut Teh, 347 Balestier Road, ☎+65-63526192. Has a respectable claim to being the first bak kut teh joint on the road, and is certainly the only one with air-con. The sour pickled vegetables and pig's organ soup are also worth a try. Watch out though: their soup is very peppery indeed.$8. edit

House of Tau Sar Piah, 529 Balestier Rd, ☎+65-65203008. Not necessarily the original, but certainly large and popular. Offers a wide variety of fillings, try the savoury tau sar piah with a salty butter filling.$0.50-0.70/piece. edit

Teo Seng Teochew Porridge, 457-461 Balestier Rd, ☎+65-62563031. 9 AM to 4 AM daily. <Out of business since Jan 2013> Large eatery serving up Teochew-style porridge, which means a bowl of watery soup (or steamed rice if you wish) and lots of tasty side dishes. Best experienced with a larger group, so you can sample.$4-. edit

Cafe De Hong Kong, 586 Balestier Road (Near Thomson Road), ☎+65-62553865, [6]. Offering Authenic Hong Kong cuisine. Recieve good rating from Makansutra. The french toast here is a must try, probably the best in Singapore.edit

Montero's Pub, 1 Newton Rd #01-01 (Goldhill Plaza Podium Block), ☎+65-62599053. 5pm-1am. A Western-style neighborhood pub with pool table and a good selection of beer. A place to relax.$6-$10. edit

Brauhaus, 101 Thomson Road, #B1-13/14 United Square, ☎+65 6250 3116. Mon–Thu: 11am – 2am, Fri–Sat: 11am – 3am, Sun: 5pm – 1am. Staggering list of beers from around the world, on the expensive side, but cheaper than in the tourist traps of Boat Quay/Clarke Quay. Shows Premier League football and other major sporting events on a large screen outdoors.edit

Fragrance Hotel, 255, 263, 418 Balestier Rd, ☎+65-62526888, [7]. Singapore's largest chain of cheap hotels has no less than three outlets along Balestier Road, all of which are unexciting but perfectly acceptable.From $89. edit

Value Hotel Balestier, 218, 302 Balestier Road, ☎+65-63522323, [8]. Three more cheap chain hotels, slightly more upmarket than Fragrance. Rooms from $89nett; the Value Hotel Thomson is the best of the three and even features a pool, but is also slightly more expensive at $129nett. edit

Quality Hotel, 201 Balestier Road, ☎+65-63559988, [9]. Solid, recently renovated 3-star hotel. Probably the best digs in this part of town. Weekend (Sat and Sun) buffet lunch (1130-1430) $16.24 net; weekday buffet lunch, dinner and supper available at lower prices. A-la-carte only $2.80++ for laksa or prawn mee plus free drink, but served outdoors only from 6pm to midnight; Free shuttle service to Novena MRT and Orchard Rd.$145. edit

Hotel Royal, 36 Newton Road (8 min from Novena MRT), ☎+65-62534411, [10]. Three-star hotel with a collection of no less than four dodgy nightclubs, which kind of sets the tone, although it completed a much-needed renovation in 2005. The Jade Room restaurant here is famous for its "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall", an extravagant Chinese soup that will cost you around $100/person. Note: Don't confuse this with [email protected] or Royal Plaza!$100-. edit